1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a disposal cartridge for use in an image forming apparatus, and more particularly to a disposal cartridge for use in an image forming apparatus with a relatively-low-cost recyclable toner-carrying roller.
2. Discussion of the Background
Designing reusable components for office machines, including image forming apparatuses such as copying machines, facsimile machines, and so forth, has become an issue in response to a recent rising tide of a recycling movement. For example, many image forming apparatuses use a disposal cartridge which typically includes a toner cartridge and a cleaning unit. Such a disposal cartridge employs rubber-made rollers, including a magnet roller for use in a cleaning operation. These rubber-made rollers have a nature of having deposits of toner lodged on surfaces thereof after a long usage. The lodged deposits of toner are generally referred to as a toner-filming problem or toner-offset problem. As a result of this toner-filming problem, at the time the rubber-made rollers are disposed of, the rubber-made rollers will be subjected to a severe cleaning process if they are, or were required to be made, reusable.
A widely-known technique for solving such a problem of the rubber-made toner carrying rollers is to coat a surface of such rollers with an agent, or a tube, having a good quality of separativeness. However, this technique adversely affects the manufacturing cost of such rollers. One reason is a relatively high material cost of the agent or the tube which has a good quality of separativeness. Another reason is a relatively complex manufacturing process of the above-mentioned technique.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a novel disposal cartridge which includes a relatively low cost recyclable toner-carrying roller for use in an image forming apparatus.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a novel method of manufacturing a recyclable toner-carrying roller at a relatively low cost.
To achieve these and other objects, a novel disposal cartridge of the present invention for use in an image forming apparatus includes a sheet and a roller. In one embodiment, an area of the sheet is equal to an area of an entire circumferential surface of the roller. The sheet is detachably bonded to the entire circumferential surface of the roller. The roller attracts toner and is detachably and rotatably mounted on the disposal cartridge.
The sheet may have one adhesive surface. The area of the sheet may also be greater than the area of the entire circumferential surface of the roller, and an edge portion of a first end of the sheet may ride on an edge portion of an opposite end of the sheet. The edge portion of the first end of the sheet which rides on the edge portion of the opposite end of the sheet may be free or bonded to a surface of the edge portion of the opposite end of the sheet. The sheet may be made of polyethylene-terephthalate.
Also, to achieve the above-mentioned and other objects, a method of manufacturing a disposal cartridge for use in an image forming apparatus includes the steps of providing a roller that attracts toner and providing a sheet that has a surface having an area equal to an area of an entire circumferential surface of the roller. Further, the method includes the steps of detachably bonding the sheet to the entire circumferential surface of the roller, and detachably and rotatably mounting the roller on the disposal cartridge.
Other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.